Guard for power-table driving mechanisms



I. D. KAR LE. GUARD FOR POWER TABLE DRIVING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYS, 1919 2 SHEETSSHEET l- INVENTOR flu). 4% BY 1Patented May 11, 1920.

ATTORNEY J. D. KARLE,

GUARD FOR POWER TABLE DRIVING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, I919.

1,339,766, Patented May 11,1920.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY JOHN D. KARLE, OF ROSELLE PARK, NEW JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

GUARD FOR POWER-TABLE DRIVING MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Application filed. May 3, 1919. Serial No. 294,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. KARLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roselle Park, in the 'county'of-Union and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards forPower-Table Driving Mechanisms, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In factory installations where numerous small machines, such as sewingmachines, are customarily arranged in rows upon long power-tables andbelted up to power-transmitting devices and line shafting mountedbeneath such tables, it is often desirable to provide guarding devicesfor shielding the operators, as well as the work, from contact with thebelts, driving pulleys, &c.

The various guards heretofore used possess many disadvantages. Themajority of such guards are made of sheet-metal and are comparativelycostly to install. Some are constructed of hinged plates which when theguard is opened to expose the power-mechanism, are intended to rest uponthe floor and are consequently in the way of the feet and knees of anoperator making repairs to or adjustments of the power mechanisms.Others of the guards heretofore used are made up in the form of slidingsheet-metal doors. Inasmuch as one or the other of these doors mustnecessarily remain closed, the line shaft cannot be fully exposed andaccess thereto is more or less obstructed.

The object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive guardof simplified construction which may be readily applied to power-tablescommonly used in garment factories, and which will effectively serve itspurpose of guarding the operator against accidents.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard which willeffectively resist accidental displacement, but which may, when intendedby the operator, be readily shifted to an out-of the way position toexpose the line shafting, belts, &c., for adjust ment or repair.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention comprises afiexible canvasapron having its upper and lower edges stiffened preferably by parallelsupporting rods. The upper rod is mounted horizontally beneath thepower-table in suitable hangers which are secured to the under side ofthe tabletop. The apron is of such size that the lower rod or stiffenerreaches to the usual foot-board with which power-tables are customarilyequipped; said lower rod being releasably secured to the foot-board bysuitable fastening means.

The present guard is intended for use in con unction with any suitabletransmitterguard for the usual clutch-device used for controlling thespeed of the machine to be driven; a preferred form of such guard beingdisclosed in the application of P. Hleb, Serial No. 294,486, filedherewith.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of apower-table equipped with my improved guard. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the transmitter-guard shifted to expose the power-transmitter orclutch device. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the power-table. Fig. 4 isa sectional view of the flexible guard and its supporting rods, and Fig.5 spring-clips used for securing the guard in lowered or operativeposition.

The present improvement, in the form selected for the purposes of thepresent this closure, is embodied in a power-table of the well-knowntype, including the table-top 1 carried by the legs 2 which support afootboard or guard-rail 3 and cross-brace at carrying one of a series ofsimilar hangers 5 for the line shaft 6. The transmitting mechanism ofsuch power-tables usually consists of a so-called transmitter ortreadle-controlled clutch device 7, the live member of which is beltedup to the pulley 8 on the line shaft, and the driven member of which isbelt-connected to the sewing machine 9 to be driven.

Such transmitters are customarily protected by means of a sheet-metalguard 10 of suitable construction, preferably such as disclosed in thesaid Hleb application. As the details of construction of the guard 10 isa detail view of one of the form no part of the present invention,further description thereof is believed to be unnecessary; it beingunderstood that the guard is so constructed that it may be readilyremoved or preferably shifted from protecting position, as shown in Fig.2, when it is desired to expose the transmitter 7. In the presentinstance the guard 10 is slidably hung from the rod 10 and may beshifted laterally to expose the transmitter.

In a power-table fitted with a transmittor-guard 10 there is usually alarge open space above the foot-board 8 and between such guard and theadjacent leg 2 at the lefthand side thereof. The present improvement isdesigned to meet the demand for an inexpensive and efiicient guard forclosing this space and thus safe-guarding the machine operatives. In itspreferred embody ment, the present guard consists of a heavy strip 11 offlexible material, such as canvas, hemmed or folded at its upper andlower edges to form pockets 12 through which are passed the upper andlower parallel stiffen ing rods 13, 14, the extremities of which projectsomewhat beyond the lateral edges 15, 16 of the guard 11.

' The upper rod 13 is supported horizontally beneath the table-top 1 bymeans of a pair of hangers or brackets 17 disposed at the opposite endsof such rod. Each of the hangers 17 is constructed n the form of an armhaving a base 18 at its upper end and an apertured boss 19 at its lowerend for reception of the rod 13.

The lower rod let is secured to the footboard 3 by readily releasablemeans which may conveniently take the form of a pair of stoutspring-clips 20 secured to the footboard 3 and having opposed resilientaws 21 forming an upwardly and outwardly opening'mouth into which theopposite ends of the rod 14: may be forcibly inserted when the guard 11is being placed in operative position.

When access to the shaft 6, pulleys 8 &c., is desired, the operatormaywithdraw or lift the rod it from the spring-clips 20 and fold the apronover the rod 13 or hang the rod 14tupon the hooks 21 which are formed onthe lugs 19. By having the mouths of the spring-clips 20 open in anoutwardly or forwardly inclined direction, accidental inward pressureupon the guard 11 will not tend to dislodge the rod 1 1 from said clipswhich, as stated, are made strong enough to resist being permanentlybent in ordinary use. The guard 11 may be made of any suitable flexiblematerial. If canvas is used, it may be fire-proofed by a treatment withwater glass or other suitable sizing.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis- 1. The combination with a power-table including a table-top andpower mechanism top, a rod below said table-top, of a guard comprising apair of brackets secured to the under side of the table-top, a rodmounted in said brackets, a flexible apron supported at its upper edgeby said rod and carrying a second rod at its lower edge, means forsustaining said second rod in operative position and means whereby oneof said rods may be readily released to permit the apron to be folded toexpose the power mechanism.

2. The combination with a power-table including a table-top and powermechanism below said table-top, of a guard comprising a pair of bracketssecured to the under side of the table-top, a rod mounted on saidbrackets a flexible apron supportedat its upper edge by said rodandcarrying a second rod at its lower edge, and devices for sustaining saidsecond rod inlowered and elevated positions.

3. The combination with a power-table including a table-top, afoot-board and a power-shaft extending lengthwise of said foot-board, ofa guard comprising a pair of supporting brackets secured to thetabletop, a rod mounted in said brackets, a flexible apron supported atits upperedge by said rod and carrying a second rod at its lower edge,and means for releasably securing said second rod to the foot-board.

4. The combination with a power-table having a table-top, a foot-boardand a power-shaft extending lengthwise of said foot-board, ofa guardcomprising a pair of supporting brackets secured to the tableible apronsupported at its upper edge by said rod and carrying a second rod at itslower edge, and means for releasably securing said second rod to thefoot-board, said brackets having hooks for supporting said second rodwhen the guard is raised to expose the power-shaft.

5. The combination with a power-table having a table-top, a foot-board,a powershaft extending lengthwise of said board, of a guard comprising apair of supporting brackets secured to the table-top, a rod mounted insaid brackets, a flexible apron supported at its upper edge by said rodand carrying a second rod adjacent its lower edge, and spring-clipssecured to said footboard for releasably gripping the opposite ends ofsaid second rodand thereby securing the lower edge of the apron inposition closely adjacent the foot-board.

6. The combination with a power-table having a tabletop and apower-shaft extending lengthwise of and beneath the tabletop, of a guardfor said shaft comprising a flexible apron, means for stiffening theupper and lower edges of said apron, and

devices for sustaining the apron at'its upper and lower edges inoperative position beneath the table-top.

mounted in said brackets, a flex 7. The combination with a power-tableing the latter in operative position, and having a table-top and apower-shaft exmeans whereby the apron may be readily tending lengthwiseof and beneath the tablereleased along one of said edges and folded 10top, of a guard for said shaft comprising a to a position exposing saidpower-shaft.

5 flexible apron, rigid means secured to the In testimony whereof, Ihavesigned my power-table and extending along the upper name to thisspecification. and lower edges of the apron for sustain- JOHN D. KARLE.

